Charles Rosen

Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion

March 03, 2020Comments.. 144

Beethoven s Piano Sonatas A Short Companion Beethoven s piano sonatas form one of the most important collections of works in the whole history of music Spanning several decades of his life as a composer the sonatas soon came to be seen as the

Title: Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion

Author: Charles Rosen

ISBN: 9780300090703

Page: 210

Format: Hardcover

Beethoven s piano sonatas form one of the most important collections of works in the whole history of music Spanning several decades of his life as a composer, the sonatas soon came to be seen as the first body of substantial serious works for piano suited to performance in large concert halls seating hundreds of people.In this comprehensive and authoritative guide, CharlBeethoven s piano sonatas form one of the most important collections of works in the whole history of music Spanning several decades of his life as a composer, the sonatas soon came to be seen as the first body of substantial serious works for piano suited to performance in large concert halls seating hundreds of people.In this comprehensive and authoritative guide, Charles Rosen places the works in context and provides an understanding of the formal principles involved in interpreting and performing this unique repertoire, covering such aspects as sonata form, phrasing, and tempo, as well as the use of pedal and trills In the second part of his book, he looks at the sonatas individually, from the earliest works of the 1790s through the sonatas of Beethoven s youthful popularity of the early 1800s, the subsequent years of mastery, the years of stress 1812 1817 , and the last three sonatas of the 1820s.Composed as much for private music making as public recital, Beethoven s sonatas have long formed a bridge between the worlds of the salon and the concert hall For today s audience, Rosen has written a guide that brings out the gravity, passion, and humor of these works and will enrich the appreciation of a wide range of readers, whether listeners, amateur musicians, or professional pianists.The book includes a CD of Rosen performing extracts from several of the sonatas, illustrating points made in the text.

1 Blog on “Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion”

Beethoven's 32 sonatas are the glory of music written for the piano. They are music of Beethoven's lifetime in that their composition spans the period from his early days in Vienna to near the end of his life. In another sense, Beethoven's piano sonatas are the music of my lifetime. I first was exposed to them as an early adolescent through concerts, records, and my own early attempts at playing the easier of them. Today, all too many years later, I still try to play the sonatas and I go to reci [...]

This book probably has somewhat of a niche audience, but I find myself squarely in that niche. Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas comprise the ultimate achievement in the form, never to be rivaled since. I have loved and studied these works for years now - I look forward to reading what Rosen has to say about them . .Well, I ended up mostly skimming this book. There is a lot of good information contained in there, but I found that it was not presented in a way that makes this very conducive to casual [...]